CerAMfacturing of Aluminum Nitride with High Thermal Conductivity via Lithography-Based Ceramic Vat Photopolymerization (CerAM VPP)

Abstract

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is an excellent material for heat sinks and is used, for example, in high-performance electronics, high-power LEDs and photovoltaics. In order to meet the constantly increasing demands on substrate materials and heat sinks resulting from the permanent increase in power density and resulting heat in electronic components, new types of components made of high-performance materials with highly complex geometries are required. In this work, AlN based on a commercial powder (“TOYALNITE®”-JCGA-BLY5 by Toyal Europe), was successfully qualified for an AM technology through suspension and process development for CerAM VPP—a DLP-based vat photo polymerization technology. The properties of the components were characterized along the entire process chain, achieving densities of 3.33 g/cm3 (>99% Th.D.) and excellent thermal conductivities of more than 180 W/mK, which are comparable to state-of-the-art for conventionally manufactured AlN components. Homogeneous microstructures of good quality confirm the measured density and thermal conductivity. A complex-shaped component usable for an exemplary heating–cooling application demonstrates the potential of this development.

Keywords

• aluminum nitride (AlN)
• additive manufacturing (AM)
• CerAMfacturing
• vat photopolymerization (VPP)
• digital light processing (DLP)
• lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM)